Celebrating Easter

Some non-religious readers may wonder how Christians celebrate this most important of holidays. Of course, the secular celebration of Easter involves baskets of pastel packaged candy including chocolate bunnies, and hiding dyed eggs. As far as I know, that has nothing to do with Easter. Indeed, some Christians forego those activities altogether due to their pagan, non-Christian roots.

For many folks who believe in Christ but are not active in a faith community, Easter is one of the only times all year that they go to church. Some congregations have special services on Easter Sunday. Some have services on Good Friday too. Still others have special celebrations through out Holy Week, i.e., the week between Palm Sunday and Easter.

In some churches, the Thursday before Easter is a particularly important day. It is called Holy Thursday or Maundy Thursday. It is the day we remember the Last Supper, when Jesus celebrated the Passover with his disciples. In the Gospel of John, after the meal, Jesus displays an act of great humility and love by washing the feet of his disciples, and instructing them to the same for one another. Afterwards Jesus was betrayed by Judas Iscariot and arrested. At Holy Thursday or Maundy Thursday services, these events are remembered and often reenacted.

Members of the congregation may wash the feet of others in the congregation. It is often a little awkward and can frankly be embarrassing for people to be in their bare feet in church and to have others come into physical contact with such a vulnerable, unattractive part of our anatomy. But oddly enough, it can also be a very moving ritual. As our pastor explained her understanding of Jesus's washing of his disciples feet, he was not just giving an example of humble servitude. Instead, he was showing us to love one another deeply, to take care of one another, and to be open to the love and care from others who make up the Body of Christ. As our pastor explained, Jesus wanted us to love each other so tenderly to be an example to the rest of the world.

At Holy Thursday or Maundy Thursday services, communion is often shared to remember Jesus's Last Supper with his disciples. Communion in many Christian traditions is a very meaningful ceremony.

Holy Thursday or Maundy Thursday services sometimes end with a stripping of the sanctuary to remove all adornments and to extinguish lights and candles. The congregation is left to imagine the emptiness and darkness that the disciples must have experienced when their beloved Jesus was arrested and taken from them. They must have been terrified, not knowing what would happen to Jesus or if the authorities would come for the rest of them as well. At our church this year, the service ended in silence--no music, no farewell greeting. We just filed out in semi-darkness, many of us moved to tears to think of the emptiness we would feel if Jesus were not in our lives.

On Good Friday, Christians remember with heavy hearts the crucifixion of Jesus. It is a heart-breaking day. Churches that have Good Friday services often read the passion story from the Gospels. We remember the physical agony Jesus suffered, as well as the humiliation and the abandonment. We mourn for his suffering, and we relate to the sorrow of his friends and family members who were powerless to help him.

After the emotionally draining experience of Thursday and Friday, Easter is a jubilant reward. We remember Mary Magdalene's confusion that Jesus's tomb was empty; she thinks someone has stolen his body. But then she encounters the risen Jesus, though she initially does not recognize him and mistakes him for a gardener. She runs to tell the disciples. Jesus lives among his friends for a period, not as a ghost but with a body. He walks and eats with his friends. He even makes them breakfast at one point. The suffering of several days ago is past and it is a time for rejoicing. Churches are often filled with decorations and flowers. Special, joyful songs are sung. It is the high point of the liturgical year.

John 21:12

Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." None of the disciples dared ask him, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.

What's the Big Deal About Easter?

It is probably understandable that the editor of a blog on Christianity has not had time to post anything in the last week! It has been a busy time for Christ followers.

When I was a little kid, however, I did not grow up in a household where we went to church regularly, and for many years I did not even realize the religious significance of Easter. I just knew the bunnies and the eggs. Where I grew up on the East Coast, I was also not really aware of Good Friday because it always coincided with our spring break so everyone was already on vacation. When I went to college in Texas, I was stunned that Good Friday was celebrated by so many; people did not go to class and offices were closed or closed early. Even at that time in my early adulthood, I still did not understand why Easter was such a big deal to Christians. As a result, I recognize that some readers of this blog may have the same reaction--what is the big deal about Easter? I thought I would take some time to try to explain.

Christmas is a great holiday, don't get me wrong. But there is nothing like Easter. Indeed, as I understand, the early church did not even celebrate the birth of Christ for a few centuries. Easter was its main celebration.

And even today, some Christian scholars debate the factual accuracy of the virgin birth. Of course, it is an essential tenet of the faith for many Christ followers. But it is not even mentioned in all of the Gospels. The Gospel of Mark and the Gospel of John (considered by many to be the first and last gospels to be written) begin their narratives with the ministry of John the Baptist when Jesus was already an adult. Apparently those Gospel writers did not think Jesus's birth to be of great theological importance.

I'm no theologian or biblical scholar, I don't know who is factually correct. But to me, it is actually not that important. I can appreciate Mark and John's greater emphasis on Jesus's teachings, the passion story, and the resurrection. After all, it is the resurrection that is the key to our faith as Christians. If we did not believe that Jesus rose from the grave, then his beautiful teachings would not have the authority they do. Instead, we would simply consider them to be the insightful teachings of a wise human being--like Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln or Oprah. But because we Christ followers do believe in the resurrection, we believe they are much more than just the teachings of a wise person. We put our faith in Jesus's teachings, we study them and we try our best to live them in our imperfect lives.

Some may ask why we Christians believe in the resurrection. That is a fair question. It is also a personal one that is bound to be answered differently by different people. An obvious answer is that the New Testament tells us that Jesus rose from the dead after three days in the tomb. But I can appreciate that that may not be enough for some folks.

To me, there are a couple of other things that really inspire my faith. First, something pretty impressive must have happened after Jesus's death because the disciples turned from utter despair (after the arrest and cruxifiction of their leader and friend) to an amazing, unshakeable faith. With that faith, the disciples (other than Judas) went on to organize the early church and to spread the good news of Christ to those who had not yet heard it. They sacrified mightily and suffered horribly to do that. Something very impressive happened to inspire that type of dedication in the face of all kinds of obstacles and dangers. In my mind, if they had not experienced the risen Christ, they would have taken a simpler path. I think Peter would have just gone back to a quiet life as a fisherman.

Another thing that convinces me of the factual accuracy of the resurrection is the life of Paul. Clearly, he was initially no friend of the Way, as the early church was called. Paul was a devout Jew, and was not keen on the followers of Jesus. Though he never met the pre-Easter Jesus, he did have a pretty impressive encounter with the post-Easter Jesus. It was so impressive that Paul did a 180, and devoted the rest of his life to learning about Jesus's teachings, trying to follow them, and bringing new people to the faith. Indeed, Paul wrote the vast majority of the books of the New Testament. None of us were on that road to Damascus with Paul, but clearly something pretty darned impressive must have happened to change his mind so drastically and convince him to sacrifice so much.

For those who believe in the resurrection of Christ, Easter is an amazing celebration. Like the disciples during Jesus's earthly ministry, we can be impressed by the wisdom and beauty of Jesus's pre-Easter teachings. But the resurrection shows us they were more than pretty words, they had divine authority to back them up.

And the resurrection is the ultimate victory. Jesus was betrayed, humiliated, tortured and abandoned, then he suffered an agonizing death. But despite all that suffering, he prevailed. No power on Earth could keep him down permanently. Even death, which seemed horrible and final, was not "the end of the story" as my pastor expresses it. The real end of the story is that like Christ we have eternal life with our Heavenly Father. If we no longer have reason to fear death, we are really liberated during our time here on Earth. That is the big deal that Christians celebrate at Easter.


1 Corinthians 15:55

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

Women’s History Month: Reflections on Female Clergy

Apparently, it has been Women’s History Month. I have to admit I had never heard of the observance until recently. A friend at church is a political science professor at a local community college and mentioned she was putting together a display on Women’s History Month at her school. The focus was the trail-blazing of women in science and in the church. Obviously those are very different disciplines, but women have faced similar professional obstacles in both. She had been interviewing our church’s pastor and deacon (both of whom are women), and asked for my thoughts as a mother of daughters in a church led by women. It was an intriguing topic and I thought it might make a good blog post.

My husband and I came from denominations that were very different culturally and theologically, but quite honestly they had in common very minimal roles for women. When we were kids, that didn't particularly bother us because I don't think any major denominations ordained women back then. I’m not sure it ever occurred to me that women might have a more prominent role. I was a very shy kid, so standing up in front of a congregation to lead worship was never appealing to me. As a result, the possibility of female clergy was not something of personal interest to me.

As an adult, I definitely believed it was a mistake to ban women from serving as clergy. There were numerous reasons for this belief, but it was not a deal breaker in determining which church I would join. Indeed, I was an active member for many years in a denomination that required clergy to be male and celibate. I disagreed with these requirements and was saddened by the minimal role to which women were relegated as a result. But it was not something on which I dwelt much. I had faith things would change over time.

But when my husband and I became parents of two daughters, we became concerned about raising our kids in that same church community. First of all, there were few opportunities for children to learn about their faith and take part in the faith community. Children were expected to sit quietly through services that they frankly did not understand or enjoy. That was our major impetus in leaving our former denomination. But secondarily, I had become concerned that that denomination did not provide strong female role models and did not seem to value the (many) contributions of its women. That didn't seem like a good environment, in which to raise our daughters.

Our family tried several different churches over the next few years and eventually joined an Episcopalian congregation last year. We chose it because it was close to our home, had a lot of activities for children, was theologically consistent with our beliefs, and had a strong social justice orientation. Serendipitously, the congregation is led by a female pastor and a female deacon. We had not sought out a female-led church. Indeed, there aren’t a lot in that category. But it has been a pleasant surprise.

They are very different individuals, but the respective styles of our pastor and deacon are quite unlike the styles of other pastors my husband and I have known. Both women are mothers of grown children. Consequently, they are very at ease with young children, who are valued as important members of our church. Both women were very prominent in Vacation Bible School last year, and were effective teachers to squirmy little ones. Our kids like them both a lot. When our pastor speaks, she has a very gentle but firm tone. Our deacon is also very approachable, and seems to have a constant and sincere smile on her face which is very welcoming—particularly to little ones. Both our pastor and deacon are very learned and helpful in answering theological questions that puzzle our family. They have also been good at tailoring answers depending on whether the question came from an adult or a child in our family. They have done a great job fielding our daughters’ tough questions including “Why did the Roman soldiers kill Jesus” and “Why was Joseph going to lie about his reason for divorcing Mary when he found out she was pregnant?” (Those were toughies!)

To be very honest, the sight of earrings dangling just above their priestly collars and ballet flats sticking out beneath the vestments did initially shock my husband and me. We'd never seen women in clerical garb, and we had to stifle some nervous giggles when we first began to attend our current church. But to our great delight, our daughters think nothing of these trivialities. Having women lead the church is second nature to them. They are still young, and they have no idea that for much of the church's history women were barred from leadership. It is exciting to me that they will grow up not feeling any limitation on their God-given potential--not in church or outside.


Indeed, in our church, there are plenty of other prominent women in addition to our two clergy. Our daughters' Sunday School teacher is an innovative, enthusiastic woman who has the children act out stories from the Bible, and on Halloween came to church dressed as Saint Martha in period costume. The music director is also female; she has an amazing range from traditional hymns to contemporary praise songs to kid-friendly music at Vacation Bible School. Finally, the current lay leader of the church (the "senior warden") is another woman who has an array of important duties to make sure the church runs smoothly; she handles everything from making sure the thermostat is set on the right temperature and getting us to process into the church in the right order for the Easter Vigil service.

It is inspiring to me that in our church our daughters have such prominent godly female role models. In past churches we attended, women were not as visible, so we would have had to search hard to find non-familial role models in our prior congregations. But to be honest, I find that I myself am also benefiting from having such female role models at our current church. I realized not long ago that I’ve actually had very few examples of female leadership in any aspect of my life. And frankly, not all of the few examples I’ve had were positive! As a 40-something adult professional, I’ve had few opportunities to witness women successfully fill positions of authority. Obviously, I’m not alone, and I think that makes it difficult for many of us to find our own successful approach to leadership. Even at my age, I feel like I’m learning a great deal by watching our pastor and deacon (and the other women in our parish) in their respective leadership roles in our church. It is a tremendous blessing!

Judges 4:1, 4-9 (Contemporary English Version)

After the death of Ehud, the Israelites again started disobeying the LORD.
Deborah the wife of Lappidoth was a prophet and a leader of Israel during those days.
She would sit under Deborah's Palm Tree between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, where Israelites would come and ask her to settle their legal cases.
One day, Barak the son of Abinoam was in Kedesh in Naphtali, and Deborah sent word for him to come and talk with her. When he arrived, she said:
I have a message for you from the LORD God of Israel! You are to get together an army of ten thousand men from the Naphtali and Zebulun tribes and lead them to Mount Tabor.
The LORD will trick Sisera into coming out to fight you at the Kishon River. Sisera will be leading King Jabin's army as usual, and they will have their chariots, but the LORD has promised to help you defeat them.
" I'm not going unless you go!" Barak told her.
" All right, I'll go!" she replied. " But I'm warning you that the LORD is going to let a woman defeat Sisera, and no one will honor you for winning the battle."

Holy Week

Today is Palm Sunday, which begins Holy Week. Like at many Christian churches, in my congregation this weekend, we read the Gospel account of the arrest, condemnation and cruxifiction of Jesus. It is very powerful. The reading contrasts the joy and hope of people hailing Jesus as messiah when he entered Jerusalem, and the later shouts of the crowd calling for Jesus's death.

Our pastor's sermon was very touching and very humbling. She pointed out that we are supposed to recognize ourselves in both groups. We are also supposed to identify with Peter who passionately pledges his loyalty to Jesus, but then repeatedly claims to not even know him. We all fall so short of our best intentions. It is a pretty depressing thought. Indeed, our pastor confessed that Palm Sunday was her least favorite service in the whole year.

In listening again to the readings, I was reminded of several truths. We all need to be tolerant and gentle and forgiving with one another. This need comes from the fact that we are all imperfect. It is humbling to remember this. It is human nature to think of ourselves as better than the next fellow. We all tend toward self-righteousness. But the truth is that we all have plenty of short-comings, and we should always retain the humility to recognize that fact.

I think that point is not only important for theological reasons, but also for secular ones. I've read and heard a lot of news coverage in recent months about the break-down in civility in our political realm. If we'd all tone down the self-righteousness and adopt more humility, civility would be restored and there would be less cynicism towards government.




Matthew 26: 33-34, 74-75

Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended. Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.

Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew. And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.

Plugged In

The last few blog posts have involved “Culture War” themes, and the concerns of children being exposed to inappropriate media content. I wanted to blog on a resource related to these concerns. It is a resource, of which many non-religious folks are likely unaware. It is the “Plugged In” Reviews, a ministry of Focus on the Family.

I first became aware of the ministry several years ago. In Houston, the Christian radio station I used to listen to often had Plugged In movie reviews right before the weekend. The point of the reviews was to give parents a quick sense of whether or not new films might be appropriate for various kids in their family. The reviews were not prudish or closed-minded. They were not written by someone like Dana Carvey’s “Church Lady” character. Instead, the reviews consistently looked to find both positive and negative aspects of every film. I was often surprised at the positive traits the reviews flagged with respect to films with very worldly themes. And the reviews were pretty detailed and reflective. They explained the precise concerns that reviewers had with various films, and gave specific age recommendations to help parents determine which children might be appropriate to take. Indeed, I was often surprised at the level of tolerance the reviews exhibited. They often gave (cautious) recommendations despite describing some objectionable content. When I first began to hear the movie reviews, I did not have kids, but I remember thinking how helpful the reviews must be to those who did.

I no longer live in Houston, and the radio stations I listen to now don’t seem to carry the Plugged In movie reviews. But in the age of the internet, it is still easy for anyone to get access to them. The Plugged In site below contains movie reviews—as well as reviews for television, music, games and other media.

http://www.pluggedin.com/

The on-line versions of the movie reviews are much longer and more detailed than I remember the radio versions were. The link below contains a review of the Princess and the Frog, the latest Disney Princess film. I read it after I took my daughter to see it, but the review contains opinions and attitudes very similar to mine after we saw the film. The review is typical of the Plugged In format. It describes both positive and negative elements in the film. It also details for parents sexual, violent, and spiritual content in the film, and it summarizes any profanity and substance use. The review then provides an overall conclusion about the film’s merits. This format is very helpful to parents, and I’ve consulted the reviews in the past when trying to gauge the appropriateness of various movies for our kids.

http://www.pluggedin.com/movies/intheaters/princessandthefrog.aspx


Again, I find the movie reviews to be very thoughtful and open-minded. The link below contains a review of the film Precious. Because of the graphic nature of the film, I thought there might be a reflexive panning of the film. But the review is much more nuanced and shows a great deal of sensitivity towards the subject matter.

http://www.pluggedin.com/videos/2010/q1/precious.aspx

I really have to commend Focus on the Family for their Plugged In reviews. They are filling a niche that is important to many families from a variety of backgrounds. In doing so, undoubtedly they are attracting folks who eventually come to support their ministry in other contexts.

Matthew 7:11 (New American Standard Bible)

"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!

Television and Family Values

The prior blog post discussed the disdain many Christian families have for television. Obviously, many families of other faiths and families of no religious faith have similar concerns. It is not something discussed much in the media, but so much that is on television these days is toxic for children (and not that great for adults). If you can navigate through the shows that contain pervasive sexualized themes and/or display graphic violence, you are still generally stuck with the commercials which can be even worse. This point was driven home for me again recently when our family tried to watch the Super Bowl and the Winter Olympics.

When our family tuned in to watch the Super Bowl this year, I had to keep asking our kids to close their eyes for a moment to avoid commercials for brutal crime shows that showed images of corpses, commercials with objectified sexualized portrayals of women, and commercials featuring adults who were essentially worshipping beer. These were not images and concepts I wanted them to absorb. The barrage was so great and the commercial interruptions so frequent, I couldn’t have them close their eyes for all of the offensive commercials. It troubled me that to simply enjoy a football game, we had to endure so many disgusting images and messages. Moreover, it seems that many people are just so accustomed to these images and messages, they think nothing of it. What happened to our society?!

The Winter Olympics wasn’t much better. I was horrified when we tuned in for the Opening Ceremonies and NBC kept showing the heartbreaking, graphic footage of the fatal crash of the Georgian luger, Nodar Kumaritashvili. I suppose I was somewhat grateful that the anchors at least warned viewers of the deeply disturbing nature of the footage, which allowed me time to have our kids cover their eyes (and for me to close my own!). But if the footage itself was so graphic that a warning like that was necessary, why did they show it at all—let alone numerous times? Where was the respect for the young man who died, and the respect for his grieving loved ones? More fundamentally, where was the respect for basic human dignity? The death of a human being is a solemn moment. Why did anyone at NBC think it was important or necessary to show that footage even once? Perhaps I’m cynical, but I assume it was a warped ploy at ratings based on the base human appetite for blood and guts. In commercial television, is it necessary to try to appeal to such base appetites? ...I’m somewhat frightened of the potential response to that question.

It seems like not many people in our country even think about the impact of such television content on children. The implicit attitude in most circles is that guarding children from negative influences is the parents’ job—period. But how exactly can parents do that job when the inappropriate images and messages are so ubiquitous? If you have young children, are you just not supposed to let them near Super Bowl and Olympic coverage? Those sporting events in and of themselves are not offensive.

It is frustrating to me and many other parents that television has degraded so much that we don’t feel it safe or appropriate to let our children watch even occasionally. And I worry about the effect of sexualized and/or violent content that is routinely viewed by children in families where the television is on more frequently and monitored less closely. But frankly, I also worry about the effect of such content on adults. Particularly when seen so frequently, it must have a significant impact on one’s thinking and how one views others. What does it say about our society that sexualized and violent content is so pervasive? It is a concern that rarely seems to be raised as a problem outside religious circles. As a result, critics are often dismissed (unfairly)as up-tight prudes to deflect and dismiss their concerns.

Matthew 18:5 (Contemporary English Version)

And when you welcome one of these children because of me, you welcome me.

Veggie Tales

The prior post made several references to Veggie Tales. For the uninitiated, some explanation might be helpful.

Veggie Tales is a series of animated Christian-themed cartoons where all the main characters are vegetables. Veggie Tales is one of the series created by Big Idea, a company whose mission is to “enhance the spiritual and moral fabric of society through creative media.” The Veggie Tales series began in the 1990s with videos sold primarily in Christian book stores. As they took off in popularity, they became available in larger chains like Wal-Mart and Target. The Veggie Tales shows are now shown on the Qubo channel, and NBC includes them in their Saturday morning cartoon line-up.

The main characters include Bob the Tomato, Larry the Cucumber, Archibald Asparagus and Junior Asparagus. (Madame Blueberry is also a reoccurring character, but no one seems to mind that she—and Bob—are technically fruits, not vegetables.) The plots of each of the shows involve a moral issue. Biblical characters and bible verses are incorporated in fun ways. For example, the Old Testament story of Joseph was updated into a Western called The Ballad of Little Joe. The title character ends up slinging sarsaparilla for a saloon owner after his jealous brothers throw him off their ranch and sell him into slavery. In Josh and the Big Wall, the story of Joshua and the fall of Jericho is retold with snooty French peas who throw grape slushees at the Israelites from their perch on top of the walls of the town.

The stories incorporate catchy songs with modern touches. One of our family’s favorites is “Belly Button” by the Boyz in the Sink—who seem to have a striking resemblance to N’Sync. The song melodramatically conveys a squash’s wrenching admission to his girlfriend that he doesn’t have a belly button.

The characters in Veggie Tales are loveable but imperfect. Archibald is elitist, Bob is often impatient, and Larry is frankly a bit dim. But they are each trying their best to do right and often try to improve their behavior when shown the error of their ways.

Our kids have seen most of the videos, and adore them. Several years ago, I took our older child to a live Veggie Tales concert/show when the tour came to our town. The concert was held in a local mega-church, and the concert began with a prayer by the host congregation’s children’s minister. It was impressive to sneak a peek to see every little head bowed with eyes closed in prayerful concentration. Then the show opened with a few of the main characters coming on stage to sing a familiar song from the videos. The first character on stage was Bob the Tomato. Hundreds if not thousands of little voices shrieked “Bob!!!!” in a manner that was reminiscent of the Beatles appearance on Ed Sullivan.

I’ve mentioned in previous blogs our family’s general dislike of television. It is a disdain that many Christian families share. I think that is the primary reason for the phenomenal success of the Veggie Tales. In a video format, parents don’t have to worry about interruptions by inappropriate commercials. And the shows themselves are fun and have positive themes. The motto of Big Idea is “Sunday morning values with Saturday morning fun.” That is a winning combo for many families.

In relatively conservative circles, a lot of folks talk about the “Culture Wars,” but my sense is that many on the left don’t understand or appreciate what that phrase means or how it resonates with so many. Indeed, I have to admit that before I became a parent, I had a vague sense that those who spoke of “Culture Wars” were paranoid nuts. Until I became responsible for sheltering little ones from inappropriate content, I never had a sense there was really a problem with mainstream entertainment. But thinking about popular culture through the eyes of children opened my mind to the potential impact of such influences on little ones who don’t have the type of filters that older folks do. Based on my present appreciation of the problem, I think that the Veggie Tales phenomenon is emblematic of the Culture Wars, but is beneath the radar of many on the secular left.

www.veggietales.com

Matthew 19:13-15 (Contemporary English Version)

Some people brought their children to Jesus, so that he could place his hands on them and pray for them. His disciples told the people to stop bothering him. But Jesus said, "Let the children come to me, and don't try to stop them! People who are like these children belong to God's kingdom." After Jesus had placed his hands on the children, he left.